Perception of fathers about their role in childcare

Abstract

Even if they believed they were better dads than their own in terms of engagement, knowledge, awareness, and caring, fathers still tend to see fatherhood in the conventional sense. In this study, fathers talked about their perception of fatherhood, ideal fathers and their traits, the responsibilities of mothers and fathers, their behaviors, and activities with their kids. With the exception of the caretaker position, they mainly saw themselves as supporters, decision-makers, and financial providers, with little engagement every day and direct upbringing of their kids. Traditional female childcare duties like feeding and washing the infant, among others, are not regarded as being under the definition of their engagement in fatherhood. They believed themselves to be a part of the outside-the-home activities, while moms would provide direct care and help around the house for the kids. The dads discussed their degrees of dedication to parenting; normally, they want to raise their kids well, want to see them go to school, and want to invest as much time, money, and effort as they can. The most significant barriers to active engagement cited by dads were found to be a lack of time, stability, confidence, and a supportive social environment. The clear majority of men held the opinion that mothers should take on more responsibility for raising children because they are better equipped to do so, whether the moms were at home or at work. This idea is a reflection of how society has traditionally viewed the father and mother’s responsibilities in raising children. Fathers voiced their concerns about the potential negative impacts on children by keeping children in the primary care of domestic helpers if the mothers undertake income generating activities along with the fathers. The necessity for legislation to foster responsible fatherhood, as is now the case in the neighboring country of India is one of the policy implications of this study's findings. To emphasize that men have a vital role to play, gaps in fathers' ideas and behaviors on fatherhood need to be closed. Children must have access to daycare facilities while both parents are employed. Together, government organizations (GOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can construct the infrastructure and capacity needed to manage daycare facilities. It will take a lot of work to break down cultural barriers and modify men's attitudes in order to get them ready for the new fathering duty. Additionally, there is a need to look at domestic helper training options and construct public-government programs to promote awareness and modify perceptions of domestic help, which will in turn assist to create a respectful generation in the future.